The game-changing tech has a massive appetite for energy.
Around the world, the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewables has been rocky in recent times. There are a few contributing factors: economic volatility, ongoing geopolitical tensions, an uneven adoption by businesses, the hottest years on record several times over.
Another factor is technological shifts, which is where our friend AI comes in.
According to July 2024 figures from the World Economic Forum:
“The computational power needed for sustaining AI’s growth is doubling roughly every 100 days.”
And if the current pace continues, by 2050 data centres would consume a staggering 25% of global electricity.
If you’re either using or planning to use Generative AI in your organisation, this thirst for energy creates an obvious emissions challenge—which can disrupt your Net Zero plans, not to mention increase your operational costs.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. And not all AIs are created equal. In fact, there are many applications where energy use is minimal. And depending on how it’s trained and deployed, AI may even be able to help us find and develop solutions for a more sustainable future.
In AI and Net Zero Sandra and Kai, the leaders of our AI fluency sprint, explore AI’s hunger for power, along with its possible role as a Net Zero hero in the coming years.